What is a Factoring Company?
What is a Factoring Company?
A factoring company specializes in purchasing unpaid invoices, known as factoring of accounts receivables, providing quick payment within 24 hours. They handle the task of collecting payment from your customers, saving you from debt, time-consuming processes, and potential credit impacts on your business and personal credit.
What is Accounts Receivable?
Accounts receivable is an amount that is owed to a company by a customer who purchased goods or services on credit. Accounts receivable are considered an asset on the company’s balance sheet. Smart business owners are always looking for ways to improve their cash flow. Some have realized the effectiveness of working with invoice factoring companies. Factoring companies purchase the accounts receivable (AR) and provide business owners with necessary cash to pay for expenses such as payroll, inventory, office supplies, marketing, advertising and even taxes.
When a company decides to factor its invoices, it first looks for factoring companies that serve their industry. They review their existing invoices to determine which ones they can sell in order to cover the cash shortfall they have. This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to inject cash into a company.
How Much Are Your Accounts Receivable Costing You?
Carrying accounts receivable (AR) costs your business money. After all, every one of the outstanding sales invoices on your aged AR report represents your money sitting in someone else’s bank account. But the cost of financing accounts receivable is only one part of the total cost you are bearing. In addition, there are other hidden costs that you may not have considered. Indeed, when you factor in time, financing, and opportunity costs, carrying a significant AR balance can be highly costly to a business. Many businesses turn to invoice factoring to manage the cash flow shortage with overdue receivables.
RELATED: 8 Rules for Managing Your Accounts Receivable
Why do Companies Factor Receivables?
Factoring converts your accounts receivable into working capital without creating debt or adding liability. Factoring does not rely on your credit rating, collateral, or bringing in investors, so companies who have faced previous cash flow challenges may more easily qualify for funding. This type of financing helps companies free up capital that is stuck in unpaid debts. Universal Funding may fund up to 95% of your accounts receivable, getting monies owed to you working for you before they are paid, with rates starting as low as 0.55%.
Benefits to factoring, instead of traditional financing such as bank loans or investors, include:
RELATED: 10 Considerations When Selecting the Best Factoring Company for Your Business
What Does a Factoring Company Do?
A factoring company purchases a company’s outstanding invoices at a discount. The business receives a percentage of the invoice value ranging from 80-95% within a few days. The factoring company takes ownership of the invoice and the payment process. Once the invoice is paid in full, the remainder invoice balance is paid to the business minus the factoring fee. This approach enables businesses to quickly improve their cash flow without having to go through the lengthy process of applying and waiting for approval of a bank loan. The invoice factoring process is fairly simple and quick and funding can occur within a matter of days.
How to Choose the Best Factoring Company
Invoice factoring is a great way to release the working capital tied up in your sales ledger giving your business the opportunity to secure the funding you need for expansion, purchase of additional raw materials, payroll, or simply cover day-to-day operating expenses.
But all invoice factoring companies are not the same. Indeed, some invoice factoring companies work on significantly different terms and conditions than their competitors. And, of course, some factoring companies have better reputations than others, too.
Selecting a factoring company for your business is a big decision. So, it is advisable to do your due diligence before choosing the factoring company that is best for your organization. The best factoring companies will work with you to find an arrangement that suits both parties.
How Well-Established is the Factoring Company?
There have been occasions when factoring companies have gone out of business, leaving their clients with an instant cash flow problem. So, it is advisable to do some background checks before signing up with a factoring company. For example, how long has the company been in business, and how is it funded? And, it is a good idea to ask for references from customers in your sector and research online reviews of the company.
How is the Factoring Account Administered?
You will likely be dealing with your chosen factoring company every day. New invoices will need to be submitted for financing, there might be queries raised on some of those invoices, and there will also be the late payers to be discussed. So, it is advisable to ask how these day-to-day tasks will be administered. For example, will you have a single account manager assigned to you? What is the process for submitting invoices? And does the company offer an online account management portal?
Can You Work with the People?
A crucial consideration when selecting a factoring company is the people. Because, unlike most other finance providers, you will need an excellent day-to-day working relationship with a factoring company. Indeed, getting the factoring deal that you want is only the beginning. You will then have to work daily with your factoring company. And, your customers will have contact with the factor’s team, too. So, it is essential that you feel confident that you can work in partnership with your chosen company.
Why Choose Universal Funding?
Universal Funding Corporation is the right partner for you because we are there when you need us, whether you only need us once or in an ongoing capacity. We understand the need for reliable cash flow and opportunities for growth generally come with tight timelines. And unlike many other factoring companies, we can have funds in your hands in a matter of days.
Universal Funding is a private funding source that has funded thousands of businesses and more than $2 billion since 1998. We believe your business deserves a personal evaluation to determine the right financing approach. We take the time to learn about your business to get a clear understanding of the challenges you face and the growth opportunities that will take you to the next level.
Our expertise and tailored financial solutions offer many benefits:
Here’s what our clients have to say
Feedback from our clients makes us a better factoring receivables company. Here is a collection of comments provided by some of our clients who shared how Universal Funding helped to achieve their business goals. Feel free to scroll through the videos below to learn why you you’ll love being a referring agent for Universal Funding and why our clients love our services.
Turn unpaid invoices into cash
Don’t wait 30, 60 or 90 days for customers to pay. Get an advance on your outstanding invoices with invoice factoring.